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VW Caravelle V6

Anyone who has ever got married knows that being driven around in a limo is very pleasant. All that space and luxury is great - but if us mere mortals were ever to make it big, would we want one? It's embarrassingly flash, really.

March 2002

Anyone who has ever got married knows that being driven around in a limo is very pleasant. All that space and luxury is great - but if us mere mortals were ever to make it big, would we want one? It's embarrassingly flash, really.

However, there is a suitable answer. Volkswagen has just unveiled the new Caravelle Limousine. Aimed at business users and wealthy families, it looks like a humble van with windows. But slide the door open and it reveals a world of luxury to rival any 38-foot Lincoln. A run through the equipment list includes electronic air-conditioning with separate dials front and rear, cruise control, twin airbags and leather upholstery.

And there's so much space inside that it could easily be used as a mobile office. Available with either six or seven seats, it makes a brilliant people carrier, with a spacious load area to boot. It comes with a choice of two engines, either a 2.5-litre turbodiesel for the economy-minded or a 2.8 V6 as fitted to our car and now boasting 204bhp from the uprated unit first seen in the Golf V6. Even with a power-sapping automatic gearbox, it makes the huge Caravelle surprisingly nippy.

The big bus is amazingly good to drive, too. Cross-country jaunts are best avoided, but the Caravelle challenges VW's own Sharan for ride quality. With all this taken into account, the pricing doesn't seem so extravagant. The 2.8 V6 costs ί¿½39,086, but what rivals does it face? Certainly nothing that can match it for space and specification. Business and entertainment industry executives should take a close look at this Caravelle - it might well be the answer to the stretch limousine.

VW has entered the world of genetic engineering and created a van/limousine crossbreed. The Caravelle Limousine may be expensive, but its equipment and space are designed to appeal to the business user. Add in excellent comfort and refinement and it makes a strong case for itself.

At a glance

*Fantastic equipment levels

*Priced from ΂£34,256-΂£39,085

*Choice of turbodiesel and V6

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